Has Harty lost the plot?

[trueblue]

They'd surely have to have pay on the gate? Then just pay for your transport too. Either that or have some sort of ticket outlet where you buy your travel ticket to cut down on queues at the ground.

Pay on the gate's the only way to attract the floating thousands..

 

[StevieV]

no deals for students please make them pay full price and give them a free bar of soap and a tax form on entry...

why is it students want discount on everything?

how about cheap entrance for military or free for oap?

Firstly that is a pathetic stereotype of students, but not anything less than I would expect on here.

Secondly students tend to get discounts because of their low capacity for earning + the fact that they turn up in numbers if they can afford things.

I do agree that other people should get deals too, but FREE? are you kidding me.

 

[Harty]

I think a number of you are missing the point. We were debating the figure of £30million being lost, which Martin based on the fact that the Albion had missed out on 5,500 fans each match for the last 6 years paying an average of £24 per seat. I just wondered how he had arrived at this figure, because in all honestly when you analyse it I don't think it really sounds as bad as it was painted. I personally don't think the Albion would have averaged 12,000 for the last six seasons, certainly not at an average of £24 a ticket,wherever they played, but that's my opinion and as we all know it truly is a game of opinions.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

I think a number of you are missing the point. We were debating the figure of £30million being lost, which Martin based on the fact that the Albion had missed out on 5,500 fans each match for the last 6 years paying an average of £24 per seat. I just wondered how he had arrived at this figure, because in all honestly when you analyse it I don't think it really sounds as bad as it was painted. I personally don't think the Albion would have averaged 12,000 for the last six seasons, certainly not at an average of £24 a ticket,wherever they played, but that's my opinion and as we all know it truly is a game of opinions.

It's your opinion but when one person agreed, you brought down your 'gavel' and declared it fact. Your words, not mine. Not a very convincing sample, 2 people?

 

[Harty]

Gavel, slammed down due to time constraints, will be back up next week if you want to come out from behind your keyboard and ring in.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

Gavel, slammed down due to time constraints, will be back up next week if you want to come out from behind your keyboard and ring in.

What a witty, erudite come back. Apart from the fact I am driving and have no wish to share airtime with you, you declared your opinion as fact.

 

[Adams score 0]

Firstly that is a pathetic stereotype of students, but not anything less than I would expect on here.

Secondly students tend to get discounts because of their low capacity for earning + the fact that they turn up in numbers if they can afford things.

I do agree that other people should get deals too, but FREE? are you kidding me.

Just ban all students,end of.
Poncey little oiks

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The figure in Paul Hayward's Daily Telegraph article (recycled by Rob Hustwayte in the Argus) was an "estimate of potential revenue lost".

The point isn't whether the Club would actually have had those bums on seats. The point is that there are people claiming at the Public Inquiry that the Club is flourishing at Withdean and can afford to stay there for the next twenty years until a decision can be made on the redevelopment of Shoreham Harbour.

The "true" figure figure is irrelevant. The prospect of losing Falmer because an Inspector at the Public Inquiry might be persuaded that "Withdean until 2025 and Shoreham Harbour then" is "an alternative available site" isn't. It's very serious.

 

[Bwian]

I think a number of you are missing the point. We were debating the figure of £30million being lost, which Martin based on the fact that the Albion had missed out on 5,500 fans each match for the last 6 years paying an average of £24 per seat. I just wondered how he had arrived at this figure, because in all honestly when you analyse it I don't think it really sounds as bad as it was painted. I personally don't think the Albion would have averaged 12,000 for the last six seasons, certainly not at an average of £24 a ticket,wherever they played, but that's my opinion and as we all know it truly is a game of opinions.

So-you think we'd have struggled to get 12,000 per game? Does that include seasons like our first one back in Brighton, TWO Championship seasons, one in the division we are currently in and a play-off season? I personally think we'd have pissed on a 12,000 per game figure. A decent stadium in Brighton=a good weekend for visiting fans which in turn means that the likes of Leeds and Sunderland etc., would have bought considerably more than the 750 maximum they are allowed at Withdean.

I listened to the phone-in and think that you played right into the NIMBYs hands. Did you actually give any thought to what damage to the Falmer campaign you may have inflicted by saying that we'd not attract 12,000 fans per game since our exile?

Sorry Harty-you f***ed up this time!

 

[enigma]

no deals for students please make them pay full price and give them a free bar of soap and a tax form on entry...

why is it students want discount on everything?

how about cheap entrance for military or free for oap?

Fool. Judging by your post, you weren't intelligent enough to go to any university, as if you had gone to university you'd have realised that your stereotypes are some way wide of the mark. May I suggest you visit a university and maybe you'll see that students come in all shapes and forms? Better still why dont you apply somewhere. Having said that, you won't get into anywhere good judging by current form so maybe don't bother.

Given how close to the Uni Falmer would be, it would be a good idea to encourage the numerous students there with cheaper tickets. Some students go to Withdean, but most who don't support Brighton are reluctant to pay £22, as given they have no emotional tie to the club it is quite a steep price for a club that is perceived as struggling and for a day out at the wonder that is Withdean.

You have to remember that if people don't have any allegiance then price is an important factor. I went to Villa-Everton yesterday, and aside from goin with a friends, I was attracted by the fact I paid £18, very cheap for Premier League

 

[The Great Cornholio]

Fool. Judging by your post, you weren't intelligent enough to go to any university, as if you had gone to university you'd have realised that your stereotypes are some way wide of the mark. May I suggest you visit a university and maybe you'll see that students come in all shapes and forms? Better still why dont you apply somewhere. Having said that, you won't get into anywhere good judging by current form so maybe don't bother.

Given how close to the Uni Falmer would be, it would be a good idea to encourage the numerous students there with cheaper tickets. Some students go to Withdean, but most who don't support Brighton are reluctant to pay £22, as given they have no emotional tie to the club it is quite a steep price for a club that is perceived as struggling and for a day out at the wonder that is Withdean.

You have to remember that if people don't have any allegiance then price is an important factor. I went to Villa-Everton yesterday, and aside from goin with a friends, I was attracted by the fact I paid £18, very cheap for Premier League

Do it my way - get a well paid job and then get the company to pay for Open University and give Study days. A degree without the debt!

 

[enigma]

Do it my way - get a well paid job and then get the company to pay for Open University and give Study days. A degree without the debt!

Back of the net!

 

[CHAPPERS]

Harty you really should have read the article before making all these comments mate. Personally I think we would be able to get gates of around 12,000 if not then maybe 10,000 if we were playing a decent level of football.

You are forgetting that away teams in this league travel in big numbers too. Millwall, QPR, West Ham all travel in numbers and couldn all have bought a few thousand dow. Even Sunderland would have bought a couple of thousand.

 

[enigma]

There's so many factors to consider of course we would get 10,000 at least. The size of the area, the teams relative success in recent years and also the feel good factor surrounding the new stadium

 

[The Oldman]

The figure in Paul Hayward's Daily Telegraph article (recycled by Rob Hustwayte in the Argus) was an "estimate of potential revenue lost".

The point isn't whether the Club would actually have had those bums on seats. The point is that there are people claiming at the Public Inquiry that the Club is flourishing at Withdean and can afford to stay there for the next twenty years until a decision can be made on the redevelopment of Shoreham Harbour.

The "true" figure figure is irrelevant. The prospect of losing Falmer because an Inspector at the Public Inquiry might be persuaded that "Withdean until 2025 and Shoreham Harbour then" is "an alternative available site" isn't. It's very serious.

What he said

 

[BensGrandad]

Just returned from working and have just read this thread.

We have a hard core of between 6000 and 8,000 who will come irrespective of the weather the position in the league or the quality of the opponents.

Add to that the away support following our opponents which in most cases, but not all is approx 2,000 take into account the fair weather supporters who would come if we are winning estimate 1000 possibly2000 and we would get a gate of approx 10-11,000 this is against teams that bring a large support in this division i.e the likes of Sunderland, Leeds. West Ham and erm who. Not an AVERAGE of 12,000 by any stretch of imagaination.

Near 9 or possibly 10.

If we get promoted one day to the premiership that is another story which is what we must be aiming for with Falmer and the capacity required there.

 

[Rougvie]

Its that mid to end of season time when all the anti-Hart campaigners come out of the wood work, oh wouldnt it be much better with blah blah blah/insert some prolific NSC poster here.

Utter shite.

Harty continues to do a good job in the phone in with limited resources, quite often he needs to get a rise out of people just to make sure he has enough callers to fill the programme, just because he has pointed out the OBVIOUS, i.e. we would not be getting a lot more than 10,000 for home games at Falmer dont make him into some kind of monster.

 

[fatbadger]

enigma has it spot on about students - most students in the Brighton area will support other teams - they won't pay £24 to see a team they don't support, but they may pay £15 just so they can go to a game on Saturday. Contrary to popular opinion, most students are not well off (although govt policies are changing that by making it very easy for the thick rich to go to university, and harder for the talented poor). If we are lucky, we'll claim at least a couple of 'second team' fans, which is no bad thing, and we might even convert some. In particular, and the clubs up here in Scotland openly admit that this has been the biggest benefit of cheap tickets for students, foreign students over here for a year or four go away as supporters of the team they have been going to watch. They buy shirts, they get their friends back home to support the club, and they do an awful lot in terms of sponsorship.

Another deal which MUST be done at Falmer is major discounts for adults with kids. This gets the gates up and is the best thing a club can do to boost their long-term future. OAPs perhaps, too - again for reasons of income. But NOT the military, for God's sake (I assume it was a joke, anyway). They get paid plenty.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I thought Paul Hayward's piece was a valid and interesting new angle, but in one sense for the specific take of Brighton fans, it isn't helpful - as it really is £30m worth of spilt milk. It's gone, we can't do anything about it, why torture ourselves?

Harty is more than entitled to his opinion, and I for one agree with him that at the current ticket prices (and who REALLY thinks they will go down at Falmer to compensate us for our excessive expenditure on Gillingham and joke facilities over the years) crowds might not be what everyone seems to think.

 

[sully]

Rougvie, it is not "obvious" that we won't get a lot more than 10,000 at Falmer.

I happen to think that most of our gates would be higher than that, with several sell-outs a season.

Look at the interest there was in the Leeds game for starters. West Ham will be the same. Palace a couple of seasons ago was a guaranteed sell-out.

Many people on this board say that they don't go to Withdean because they don't like the place. I admit to having got the Withdean blues last season, but have snapped out of it now. There will be a huge number that will return once we get a decent stadium, plus many more who are attracted for the first time by the facilities.

At the moment, many of us don't take our kids as it is difficult guaranteeing a ticket for every game and then being able to take the kids for the Saturday and school holiday games. My kids have seen more away games than home. But with Falmer, they will be doing the majority of Saturday home games, so that's THREE TIMES the number of bums on seats from my family alone.

I am utterly convinced that the 12,000 estimate is a conservative one, and that Harty got it very wrong last week.

John Prescott was even convinced of the need for a 22,000 capacity. Why would he have been if he thought we'd only get 10,000 in there every week?